Rescue Dive: Call of Honor
by Bulbajer
Summary: Another death game? Geez. With 10,000 more people trapped, Kirito must enter a first-person shooter he knows little about, find his friends, and lead them to freedom by beating the game's campaign. Takes place after ALO. Kirito x Asuna, Kirito x harem. T for language and virtual violence.
1. Chapter 1: We Have a Problem

**A/N: Welcome to my first ****_SAO_**** fic and my fourth fic overall! A couple things you should know:**

**1. This story takes place after ALO. 2. When they're in real life, I will usually refer to the characters by their real names (e.g., Kazuto = Kirito). 3. I will be featuring the minor characters like Liz and Silica more than they were featured in either the novels or the anime. 4. Also featured will be Argo (yay), who barely appeared in the anime. If you don't know about her, just briefly scan her page on the SAO wiki on Wikia. She will be the only thing that people who haven't read any of the light novels may not recognize. 5. A few OCs ("own characters") will appear, but I'll try to not focus on them so much. 6. Gameplay will incorporate elements from ****_Medal of Honor: Rising Sun_****, ****_Medal of Honor: European Assault_****, and the ****_Modern Warfare _****series (especially CoD4) of ****_Call of Duty._**** You don't need to know anything about these games to understand the story. 7. Being me, I made a brief guide to the game, the link to which is at the top of my profile. It basically details all the weapons in the game and gives a brief overlook of gameplay. Anything that's important to the story itself will be explained to/by the characters, so reading this guide is also ****not necessary****. 8. I do not speak Japanese and have never been to Japan, so please correct me if I make a mistake. 9. Feel free to suggest stuff!**

**Thanks, and hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online.**

_Rescue Dive: Call of Honor_

Chapter 1: We Have a Problem

"I WILL EAT YOU OMNOMNOM"

… were the first words out of Kirigaya Kazuto's mouth that morning.

Kirigaya Suguha slowly backed away from his door. Maybe she should have let him sleep in…

*Moments Earlier*

As the Spriggan magic swirled around him, Kazuto could feel his limbs lengthening. Skin morphed, teeth sharpened, claws emerged. His frame soon towered over the Salamanders. Directing his now-crimson eyes below him, Kazuto grinned hungrily down at his terrified opponents. He opened his maw to let loose a bloodthirsty howl –

"_Onīiiiiii-chan!_ Get out of bed, you lazy lump!"

Without realizing it, Kazuto jumped from his dream into real life. "I WILL EAT YOU OMNOMNOM – eh?" Seeing his room and noticing the absence of screaming Salamanders, Kazuto sighed. That had been a very good dream, and with Kazuto having gone through what he had, he didn't get very many good dreams. Though of course this dream had been nothing compared to the ones involving Asuna…

The teenage boy blushed before yawning, stretching, and standing. Grabbing a pair of clothes, he exited his room. He came to a halt when he saw his sister dashing down the stairs. "_Okāsan_, Kazuto's threatening to eat me again!"

Kazuto could feel another sigh coming.

* * *

Later, around noon, Kazuto was munching on his late breakfast. Suguha finally decided that her brother was tame and started up a conversation. "So, _onīchan_, what are your plans for today?"

Kazuto paused to think. It was summer, so there would be no school. He could do something with his friends – but a lot of them were on vacation. Those who weren't were probably busy. The VRMMO market's newest hot item, _Call of Honor Online_, had just been released a week ago and the gaming communities were still raving about it. On a rainy day like today, many thousands of players would be playing. Most of the people Kazuto knew who played FullDive games had bought the game, including…

Kazuto sighed again. Asuna would not be available today.

Suguha did not like to see Kazuto even remotely depressed. "What's wrong?"

Kazuto remembered her question. "Oh, nothing. It's just… I don't know what to do today."

Suguha smirked. "Already regretting not getting that new shooting game? I knew you were addicted to video games, but-"

"It's not that," he interrupted. "_Call of Honor Online_ looked pretty interesting, but I feel like I've been Diving too much lately. I promised myself that I would try to work on… uh… my addiction," he finished awkwardly. It was true; he had only planned to log on to ALO every other day or so to see Yui and, when they were available, the others.

His sister continued smirking. "So you can't think of anything to do besides play video games?"

Kazuto pouted. "I didn't say that! I'd hang out with my friends, but they're not available."

Suguha glanced at the window as an ambulance passed by. "How about reading? Or kendo? Come on, _onīchan_, there's plenty of stuff to do."

"True," he admitted. "I guess I'll go practice in the dojo in a bit. Want to come with me?"

At first, Suguha seemed to be ignoring him. She had her head turned towards the window, making no acknowledgment that her brother had asked her something. This was highly unusual behavior from Suguha. Kazuto leaned forward. "Sugu?"

She didn't even budge. Kazuto worriedly observed how tense she was. She almost looked like she was listening to something... now that he thought about it, he _could_ hear a lot of sirens in the area. As he was thinking, one of the sirens suddenly got louder. Another ambulance sped by the house, siren reaching an almost unbearable pitch.

"Probably a big accident," he thought aloud. "I hope everyone's alright…"

When a police car sped by, Suguha still hadn't moved. Suddenly Kazuto realized why she was so tense. "Sugu… like I said, it's probably a car accident. These things happen every day. There's no way… there's no way something like _that_ could happen again. The government has the virtual reality industry on a tight leash – "

"Kazuto." His sister still hadn't turned from the window, but she was no shaking slightly. "Turn on the TV."

Kazuto made to pat her on the shoulder. "Sugu – "

"Please, Kazuto. Just humor me."

With an exaggerated sigh, Kazuto got up and headed into the other room. He wanted to let Suguha know how relaxed he was – even if unreasonable fear was seeping into his stomach. He approached the television, inhaled louder than he had meant to, and turned it on.

A scream echoed through the house.

"Oh my god! This okonomiyaki tastes like heaven!" screamed the girl on the TV. Kazuto let his breath out as the ad for Okonomiyaki Ucchan's continued. "It's alright, Sugu. No breaking news, no national disaster."

As he walked back into the kitchen, he frowned again at the sight of his little sister slumping in her seat. She looked relieved but exhausted, as if the thought alone of the infamous SAO incident repeating itself zapped her of energy. "Well, thank goodness," she remarked. "I've never been able to see emergency vehicles or hear sirens the same way since then. I suppose I'm just being silly."

"No, you're not," replied Kazuto as he sat down again, giving her a sympathetic look.

"Still, though…" she mumbled, as she looked out the window again. The sirens were fading. "I can't help but worry. Even though it should be impossible. Like you said, the government – "

She got no further as the ad on the TV, which was still on, suddenly cut off and the breaking news music played.

Neither sibling moved.

* * *

_No…_

_No!..._

_**** NO!_

* * *

An hour and a half later, Kazuto sat in the office of a government official. He still had a hard time believing he had agreed to see the man. He shouldn't be here. He should be at her side, telling her it was going to be alright, making sure the paramedics didn't bounce her around too much as they rushed her through the rapidly-filling hospital. He could almost hear the sound of the heart monitor she was undoubtedly hooked up to at this moment.

_"Yuuki-san? This is Kazuto… yes… NO! Mrs. Yuuki, there's no time to explain! Just make sure she hasn't Dived… Oh please, oh please, oh please…"_

Asuna's mother never picked the phone back up, but he could hear her scream from whatever distance the phone lay.

His fists balled up.

_How could this possibly happen?!_ he felt tempted to shout at the government office.

Before he could vent his frustration and confusion at the walls, the door opened and a suited man entered hurriedly, taking his seat behind the desk. "Kirigaya-kun? I'm Suzuki Hiroshi. Sorry to have kept you waiting."

"I can see you're quite busy." Kazuto wasn't going to give this man anything close to politeness.

The man slumped just a bit in his seat, as if he could feel the accusation in the boy's stare. "I'm afraid so. I'll get straight to the point. Obviously, someone triggered the attack – at precisely noon, when online activity was at a peak. From that point onward, no one has logged off." As he was speaking he unfolded a laptop and brought up several live news broadcasts. "Somehow _Call of Honor Online_ was able to overpower the AmuSphere and other FullDive consoles and revert the safety features which distinguish them from the old NerveGear. The game's creator, Tojo Yamato, has claimed responsibility but has not been located yet."

Kazuto couldn't help but shout. "How? How did this happen? How did the government let another maniac trap another 10,000 people in a game right under its nose?"

Mr. Suzuki bowed his head. "We have no excuse. After SAO, everyone called for tighter regulation of the VR industry. We realized too late that the more people we poured into the appropriate departments, the more chances we gave people like Tojo to infiltrate and corrupt. The National Police Department and similar organizations are combing both the company behind the game and the government itself for suspects, but that doesn't change the fact that we let it happen. Again."

There was an uneasy silence in the room for a moment, before Kazuto spoke up. "Why did you call me here?"

The man's face became grimmer, if that was possible. "At this time, we're scrambling for ideas. Several people suggested sending in game experts, possibly even SAO veterans, to try and keep the players calm and lead them to clear the game. You were the first person I thought of." Mr. Suzuki shifted in his chair. "Please understand, I didn't ask you here to request that you risk your life by Diving into another death game so much as I wanted you to hear this, and to offer my assurance that the government – that is, the parts of it that haven't been compromised – will work even harder this time to save as many lives as we can, as quickly as possible."

Kazuto didn't know what to say. The idea of Diving in after Asuna had occurred to him, but his rational side had convinced him that such an act would be of little use. Unlike in _Sword Art Online_, he had zero experience playing _Call of Honor Online_. Due to his determination to keep himself away from the hottest new games for at least a little while, he barely even had any idea what the game was about, besides the fact that it was a VRMMOFPS. But now that a government official had mentioned it, even if he did imply that it wasn't a very good idea… Kazuto couldn't help but wonder…

Suguha would be devastated. So would his stepmother. On the other hand, living the next few hours… days… weeks, months, hell, probably years not knowing how close Asuna was to death…

"Besides Yuuki Asuna," he began, already knowing his decision, "how many other people I know happened to be playing _CHO_ at noon today?"

Mr. Suzuki typed a bit on his laptop, then handed it to Kazuto. "Type in a name and home city."

In the next minute, to his immense dismay, the hero of SAO discovered that several of his best friends were trapped in essentially the same situation he had gotten them out of a year and a half ago. Tsuboi Ryoutarou, Andrew Mills, and Ayano Keiko had apparently all decided to play _CHO_ today. _Stupid Klein_, Kazuto thought. _He's supposed to be on vacation in Hawaii. What's he doing FullDiving? And Agil – at noon he's usually running his bar. And Silica… oh, you poor, unlucky girl…_

At least Shinozaki Rika wasn't in the database of names. So that meant Lisbeth was safe. As was Suguha. That was two less names to worry about.

"I'll do it," Kazuto finally said. Mr. Suzuki looked shocked and was about to thank the young man in front of him profusely when he added, "on one condition. Don't let my sister follow me."

* * *

**The intro is short and bad. Sorry, I hate intros. I wanted to get to the story quickly.**

**I really do appreciate reviews, positive or negative!**


	2. Chapter 2: Noob

**A/N: Again, sorry for the poor quality of the previous chapter. I tried to explain that the game had basically hacked into people's AmuSpheres to make them more like NerveGear; it's still a bit of a stretch though. My point is, somehow or another, we have another death game.**

**By the way, did anyone get the reference I made with the "Okonomiyaki Ucchan's" ad on the TV? :)**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_Sword Art Online_****. I also don't own ****_Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare_****, which inspired parts of this chapter.**

Chapter 2: Noob

"Heart monitor's online."

"Good," said the doctor. "Suzuki-kun, Kirigaya-kun, we're just about ready to begin."

Mr. Suzuki moved a bit closer to the bed in which Kazuto lay. "You remember what I told you?"

"Yes," Kazuto lied. He had zoned out during Mr. Suzuki's brief explanation of the game. Despite knowing how important it was to pay attention, he couldn't help but think of his friends trapped inside the game. It was weird. Before SAO, Kazuto hadn't been a bit uneasy. It wasn't until Kayaba's announcement that he had begun to feel the unbearable weight on his shoulders. If he had known what he was getting into as he counted down to 1:00 PM on that fateful first day, he likely would have vomited several times. But now – when he was fully aware of his responsibility and the many consequences that would result from failure – he felt relatively calm. Deeply worried, of course, but physically, at least, he was very much stable.

"Now, Kirigaya-kun, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes." This time he wasn't lying.

"Then good luck. My colleagues and I will continue to try to find another way to end this."

Kazuto nodded, then put on the AmuSphere. As the doctor and nurse made one final check of the various systems monitoring his life signs, the boy closed his eyes, trying to think of everything and everyone he cared about at once.

For a long moment, Kirigaya Kazuto lay in that bed, as if sleeping. But then…

"Link Start!"

* * *

The familiar tunnel of colors reminded him of a very bizarre American sci-fi movie he had once watched.

Such was Kirito's line of thought, more or less, in the first few seconds of what might just be his last time using FullDive technology.

Once the five senses had been confirmed, his view faded to black. A column of light appeared in the distance. After waiting several seconds, Kirito realized that he had materialized and was probably supposed to walk towards the light. His footsteps echoed endlessly in the blackness. As he stepped into the light, Kirito was beginning to get confused – wasn't this a shooting game?

_Or maybe,_ he thought, _it's a tr-_

"BOO!" shouted many voices behind him.

Kirito shot into the air in surprise, now beginning to doubt his sanity. As he turned, he was surprised to see that where there had been nothing but blackness before, there was now a large building on a grassy turf beneath a blue sky. Before him stood at least a dozen young men and women of various races with combat boots, camouflage pants, sleeveless shirts, and mischievous grins. They proceeded to fall over one another in mirth. Before Kirito could ask them just why they had apparently pranked him, someone behind him called out, "Alright, that's enough."

Kirito turned back to see a man in camouflage uniform. He must have been an officer, because immediately the other soldiers stopped laughing. The officer himself, though, allowed a trace of a smirk on his face. "So you're the new kid, right?"

Kirito suddenly felt as though he ought to stand straighter. "Yes." When the officer raised an eyebrow, he hastily added, "Sir."

"Right, ugly," said the officer. "First things first. What's your name, maggot?"

A window popped up offering a keyboard. Kirito typed in his gaming name and hit "OK".

"Ki-ri-to," pronounced the officer, narrowing his eyes. "Is that right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright then, sharkbait. Welcome to the _Call of Honor Online_ tutorial. I'm gonna teach you the bare essentials of this game so that you don't end up fighting the same way you look." More laughter behind him. Kirito looked down at himself and was surprised to see the same black clothes he had worn to the hospital. The AmuSphere had scanned and copied his appearance, just like the NerveGear had. _Just how did this maniac manage to do that?_ he wondered. The officer snapped him out of his thoughts by pointing to his right. "Walk to that table and pick up the gun."

Kirito did so. The gun on the table looked light some sort of assault rifle. As he picked it up, Kirito saw the name "G36c" in the lower left corner of his vision. Also displayed were what he knew to represent the number of bullets currently in the gun and the number of extra bullets he had magically started carrying. He remembered that much from Mr. Suzuki's lecture. Kirito tried to familiarize himself with the feel of holding the gun. It was heavier than he had imagined.

"Now," continued the officer, "sprint over to the firing range. Go!"

Caught off guard, Kirito almost stumbled as he began to sprint, but managed to catch himself without embarrassing himself too much. At least, he hoped. Then again, who did he have to embarrass? These soldiers were most likely NPCs.

Once at the range, Kirito followed the officer's instructions to kneel and look down the sights of the gun at the targets. This particular G36c was equipped with what seemed like a laser pointer to assist aiming. When told to fire at the targets, Kirito pulled the trigger once. The gun seemed to jump up and back a little as it fired, again surprising him. Cautiously, he fired a few more single shots, before holding down the trigger and firing at full automatic. The recoil with each shot gradually pushed the direction of the shots away from the target he had been aiming at. Soon the gun was empty; Kirito's arms developed minds of their own and moved quickly and expertly to reload the gun. He was not terribly surprised to see that few of the targets had been hit. Cue more laughter from the NPC soldiers.

From there, the officer had Kirito try firing from the hip, or firing without aiming down the sights. Then, he gave Kirito an M1911 pistol and a couple of M67 frag grenades. Like reloading, the process of switching from the rifle to the handgun, as well as pulling out a grenade, seemed to be automated. It was an odd feeling. One moment, Kirito had control of his arms; then he didn't; and then he did again, all in the space of less than a second.

Kirito took the lack of laughter coming from behind him as a sign that he was getting the hang of things. The officer had him knife some fruit before taking back the G36c and adding a grenade launcher. This was probably Kirito's favorite part of the tutorial. The _thoop_ sound of the launcher being fired was very satisfying.

"All right, maggot, you're done," said the officer at long last. "You'll now be transported to HQ. Good luck!"

The troops in the back applauded Kirito, calling out things like "Go get 'em squirt!" and "You show those NazBols who's boss!" Before he could ask what a "NazBol" was, Kirito felt the floor underneath him give way. His stomach leapt into his throat as he dropped into nothingness. The cheers and teasings of the NPC troops faded away. Once again he was surrounded by blackness. But then a disembodied voice broke the silence.

"Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime. Ernest Hemingway."

And with that, Kirito's feet suddenly hit land.

* * *

The first thing he noticed was the beautiful surroundings. In front of him lay a grass field, beyond which was a thick forest. Above him, the clouds drifted on the blue sky. He could hear birds chirping, but he could also hear the _chop-chop_ of a helicopter somewhere behind him. Turning around, Kirito flinched as he noticed several people in various uniforms frozen in mid-pace. All of them stared at him like he had just dropped from the sky. **(A/N: eheheh.. heh…)**

The girl nearest him spoke first. "You… you just joined the game?"

"Yes."

"… You joined the game."

"Y-yes, well, I uh-"

"WHY DID YOU JOIN THE GAME?!" The girl's blonde hair almost looked like it was standing on end like a cat's, and her brown eyes radiated the expression "What the hell?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what y-"

"How did you not hear the news?" she asked incredulously.

Now Kirito realized what she was talking about. "Oh. I did."

The girl paused. "I see… SO WHY DID YOU JOIN THE GAME?!"

"Long story," he and Liz responded.

…

Wait, what?

Kirito spun around to see Lisbeth standing behind him. She grinned a bit sheepishly. "Hi, Kirito-kun."

* * *

**A/N: Guess the movie referenced in the first line!**


	3. Chapter 3: Orientation

**A/N: A reviewer asked about Sinon. Sinon, from the Gun Gale Online arc, will probably not be appearing in this story, for three reasons: 1. I don't want to alienate anyone who hasn't read the GGO arc, so I can't place it after GGO. 2. Placing it after GGO would also take the fun out of the story; after all, Kirito's just played a shooting game, hasn't he? 3. Even if I placed it before GGO and messed up the timeline with Sinon meeting Kirito before GGO, I'd have to at least touch on Sinon's story, and I can't possibly do her justice (GGO's better than SAO and ALO in terms of writing, imo).**

**From now on, updates will become less frequent as school hits me like a tidal wave. And also because I plan on making the chapters longer, like this one.**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_Sword Art Online_****. I also don't own ****_Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2_****, which inspired parts of this chapter.**

Chapter 3: Orientation

"Liz?! What are you doing here?"

Liz sweatdropped. "Aheh… well…"

* * *

She was walking aimlessly through the hospital. Everyone around seemed too busy to notice her. Patients were constantly being wheeled in, although the flow had somewhat ebbed since the free rooms had been filled and most patients in the area were diverted to nearby hospitals.

_Three and a half years ago, I was one of those patients_, thought Rika, imagining a chibi version of herself with a "herp-derp" expression hooked up to a life support machine.

So why was she here now? Luck had allowed her to narrowly escape the fate of Asuna, Silica, and the others. If she hadn't been in the bathroom for so long, Rika probably would've tried out her copy of _Call of Honor Online_ before she saw the horrible news. _Thank goodness for gigantic tacos_, she thought. Anyway, she had gone here after calling all the others and either getting no answer or finding friends or family. Rika's heart had stopped when she heard Suguha say "No, _onīchan_ isn't here," but when the younger girl explained that Kazuto was meeting with a government official, blood began pumping at high level. Maybe she could do something! After all, she was also an SAO survivor. So she had jogged through the city towards the building where the office was. The sights along the way, however, were so depressing that Rika took a detour into one of the hospitals. And from there she had sort of zoned out, passing room after room of unconscious video game players, trying to picture her friends' faces on the bodies.

So Rika was very surprised indeed when she heard a voice she knew very well cry out "Link Start!"

Bursting into the room, Rika's eyes immediately fell upon the boy who years before had made such an arrogant impression on her. He had just Dived. She was about to cry out in frustration and confusion when the attending doctor spoke. "Ah, miss, excuse me? Please don't barge into hospital rooms without asking permission from staff."

Rika tore her eyes off of Kazuto to focus on the other people in the room. She wanted answers before she would apologize. "Did he just do what I think he did? Why would you let him do that?!"

"Um…" Mr. Suzuki looked nervous. "You wouldn't happen to be his sister, would you?"

Rika blanched. "What? No! I'm his… friend," she finished weakly.

"Oh," replied a very relieved-looking Suzuki. "Kirigaya-kun has Dived into the game to offer experience as a survivor of this kind of thing."

"But I'm a survivor too!" The nurse motioned for her to keep her voice down, but Rika didn't notice. "If he's going in, so am I!" She didn't even have to think about it.

Mr. Suzuki, on the other hand, looked unsure. "Uh, well, as I understand it, Kirigaya-kun was also very good… not to insult y-"

"GRRRRR. I am _so_ much better than that goth! I made one of his swords."

Impressed, the man put a hand to his chin. "Hmm. I do have another AmuSphere and a copy of the game, but the hospital is out of beds."

The nurse grinned mischievously. "You could share with Kirigaya-kun."

The doctor and Rika shot her looks of disapproval and disbelief respectively, but Mr. Suzuki snapped his fingers. "Aha! Good idea. What is your name?"

"Rika. Shinozaki Rika," she mumbled, still trying to comprehend sharing a bed with Kirigaya Kazuto.

Sharing a bed with Kirigaya Kazuto.

Sharing a bed with Kirigaya Kazuto.

Sharing a bed -

"Well then, Shinozaki-san, if you please…" he gestured to the bed.

* * *

Liz had purposefully left out the part about sharing Kirito's bed. Still, she was hyperventilating at the memory. _Asuna's gonna kill me…_

Kirito sighed, looking at his friend with mixed emotions. Now he had another loved one whose life was in danger. On the other hand, having Liz along would probably increase his chances of staying alive. Not to mention the fact that it would be nice to have some company, especially since he had yet to find the others. "You're sure you want to do this, Liz?"

Liz sweatdropped. "Uh, now that I think about it, I'll just beam back up and go watch anime or something." But then she gave Kirito a wink. _Oh, Asuna's definitely going to kill me…_

"Ahem." Startled, the two friends turned back to the blonde girl, who was pouting. "Can I go back to yelling at you now?"

"Sorry, we have to find our friends." And with that, Kirito began to walk towards the building behind her, which he assumed to be the "HQ" the tutorial officer had referred to. Liz gave an apologetic grin, then followed.

The girl stared at their backs in disbelief. "Wait! Do you even know what you're doing? Do you just plan on marching East and throwing some rocks at the NazBols?"

"Oh, that's right." Kirito turned. "What's a NazBol?"

Several nearby people fainted.

* * *

An hour later, Kirito, Liz, and the blonde girl sat outside the office of the Commander of the Alliance for Earth. Snow, the girl, had informed them that the faction all players were fighting for was called the Alliance for Earth, or just the Alliance. The purpose of the game was to defeat the evil National Bolshevik Movement, or NazBols, who were currently occupying about half of the virtual world the game took place in. Kirito and Liz learned that hundreds of players had already died since the death game was triggered a few hours ago. If Kirito and Liz wanted to help clear the game, Snow had said, the first thing they should do was to meet with the Commander.

Ranks were somewhat ambiguous in _Call of Honor Online_. They were determined by a combination of experience level and player elections. For example, simply being a powerful player would not get you the top spot, especially if players perceived you as mean. If a player who was popular but had a very low level were elected, the game would usually reject the election. Also, there was no built-in punishment for disobeying orders. In effect, ranks depended on the players' will to support them. Apparently, the Commander had enough experience and character to secure the players' loyalty and prevent anarchy, especially since the game had become deadly.

The door opened, and a soldier beckoned the three in. Behind a desk sat a large, red-headed man who was clearly the Commander. "Welcome, recruits, and hello, Snow," he greeted with a polite smile. "I have been told you two are SAO survivors and were sent by the government to help out?"

"Yes," Kirito replied. This man looked very familiar.

"The victims and loved ones of this game thank you for your bravery. I am Commander Mordred. I oversee all Alliance activities."

The name Mordred clicked in Kirito's memory. "Sir, you wouldn't happen to be the brother of Eugene, once leader of the Salamander Army in _ALfheim Online_?"

Mordred's smile grew. "Indeed! So I see you've met my brother, eh? He's on the front lines at the moment. Speaking of which…" He grew serious. "I know both of you are inexperienced, but right now, we really could use your help." Standing up, he gestured to a large map behind him. "An ally of the National Bolsheviks, the Fundamentalist Militia, have recently stepped up their attacks in this area. Like the NazBols, Militiamen are NPCs, but unlike the NazBols, they are relatively under-equipped and disorganized. I'd like you, Kirito and Lisbeth," he said, pointing at an area that appeared to be part of a desert, "to join the Army squadron assigned to take this civilian area."

Kirito and Liz nodded. Mordred turned to Snow. "Snow, would you be able to accompany them, or is your team busy?"

"Our leader is planning a raid on an ammo dump," responed Snow. "I'm afraid not, Commander."

"Ah, well, I'm sure Privates Kirito and Lisbeth can handle things, right?"

"Right, sir!"

Just as they were leaving, a thought struck Kirito's mind. "Sir? I'm sorry, but I just have a question. Some of our friends are trapped in this game. Would you be able to tell me where they are?"

Mordred's face fell. "I'm sorry, Kirito-kun, but when the people responsible for this game made their move today, for some reason they chose to take away my ability to locate individuals."

Kirito and Liz tried not to look crestfallen. "I understand, sir," the former responded. "Thank you."

* * *

The next morning, after sleeping in the giant barracks of the HQ, Kirito and Liz boarded a C-130 transport plane headed for a base just outside the desert city partially occupied by the Fundamentalist Militia. Strapped to his seat, Kirito turned his head to glance at Liz, who was trying to see the cockpit. "So the crew of this thing are players too?" she asked.

"Yep," responded Kirito. "Remember? Snow told us that although most players are part of the Army, there's also an Air Force, a Navy, a National Guard, a Coast Guard, and a Special Operations department." He looked down at his tan camouflage Army uniform. It reminded him of pictures and videos he had seen of American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Looking back up at Liz, he had to grin at her expression as she gazed out one of the small windows on the other side of the plane. She was clearly enjoying this part of the game.

Soon, though, the C-130 landed and unloaded its troops. Several Humvees sat parked outside the airfield. One of the drivers ran out and shouted at the troops. "Hey! You're the reinforcements from HQ, right? No time to brief you on the mission. The Militia just blew up a buidling. We need you guys downtown now!"

Hurrying, Kirito, Liz, and the rest of the troops boarded the convoy of vehicles, which then sped off towards the city. As she sat in the back of the Humvee, Liz fingered her M4A1 Carbine. "Hey Kirito?"

"Mm?"

"I'm scared."

"I think we all are, Liz."

"That doesn't make me feel better."

As Kirito chuckled at Liz, who was smiling nervously, he remembered something he had meant to ask her earlier. "Hey, you went through the tutorial, right?"

"Yes."

"Did those soldiers in the background insult your looks?"

"…"

Kirito realized too late the awkwardness of his words.

Liz now resembled a pufferfish with pink hair and camo. "No…" she grated out, "why… do… you… ask… hmmmm?"

"Well, you see – I didn't mean – t-they called me ugly!"

Liz balked. "Really? They must have –" She would have said, _been blind_, but of course, that just wasn't something you said to your crush. Blushing, Liz attempted to distract Kirito from her unfinished thought. "As a matter of fact, they complimented me. A lot! At least, the boys did…"

At that moment, the soldier standing in the built-in hole in the roof with a machine gun shouted down to the other occupants. "We're in the city. Here we go!"

"Give 'em hell, Ramirez!" the driver of the Humvee responded. "The rest of you, be ready to jump out at any time. This thing's bulletproof, but it won't take a direct hit from an RPG. And remember, all Militiamen are armed and uniformed! Anyone else is a civilian, and we've got lots of civilians still living here."

As he approached his first battle in _Call of Honor Online_, Kirito wondered about the civilians. Snow had been vague on them – he knew they were NPCs and served as the innocent bystanders that the Alliance, as the good guys, was protecting, but beyond that...

The sound of gunfire ahead interrupted his thoughts.

"The lead vehicles are taking heavy fire!" shouted Ramirez as he began returning fire. "Let's do this thing!"

* * *

Kirito first got a clear view of the Militia when the convoy sped through an intersection and onto a perpendicular road. They were men wearing black robes and sometimes masks. As they fired their weapons at the convoy, many of them shouted in a language Kirito was pretty sure didn't exist in the real world. Ramirez and other soldiers atop their Humvees tried to mow them down. The convoy continued through the streets of the city, eventually splitting in two. Kirito kept his eyes on the rooftops, where most of the enemies seemed to be appearing from. Suddenly, Ramirez dropped back into the Humvee. "They've got a machine gunner up there," he grunted. "I took too much damage. Had to take cover."

"Hang in there, Ramirez," responded the driver. "Kirito, get up there and see if you can take out their machine gunner."

"Roger." Kirito switched places with Ramirez, poking his head cautiously out of the roof. Immediately he saw several Militiamen firing on vehicles further up in the convoy, but none of them had machine guns. Then he saw it: a machine gunner was spraying bullets out of a window on a building ahead. Kirito took aim with his G36c and fired a few rounds. The machine gun stopped abruptly. Quickly, he turned his attention to the other Militiamen on the rooftops, picking them off and staying low, ready to dive back inside. Once the firefight stopped, the convoy started moving again. But then the soldier on the Humvee in front of him screamed: "RPG! 12 o'clock!"

Kirito didn't have time to aim. The rocket sped towards him with an angry hiss, and then –

It seemed to Kirito like his Humvee exploded. Immediately, his vision became clouded with red, and a high-pitched tone in his ears told him he had been stunned. As the pitch faded, his heartbeat became almost defeaning. He felt a hand grab him and drag him to his feet. He was on the ground. Kirito stumbled after the driver, Ramirez, the soldier who had been sitting in the front passenger seat, and Liz – she was alive! She had even saved him. He didn't have time to thank her, though, as they dove for cover in a nearby building.

And during all this time, Kirito felt no pain. Only panic.

Finally, his vision began to clear, and he could clearly see the driver taking an M4A1 off his shoulder strap. "Dunn, can you take a peak out there?"

The other soldier peered carefully out of a doorway at the street they had just abandoned. "Besides our Humvee, the one in front of us got hit, Foley. I see their team taking cover on the other side of the street, but I'm pretty sure their gunner didn't make it. The vehicles in front of us are still firing, and the ones behind us probably backed up and took another route."

The driver, Foley, nodded grimly. "All right, crew, let's free up the convoy. Take out the gunners on the rooftops and watch for RPGs!" Liz and Kirito took up positions by a doorway. Alternating, they peered out and fired at the Militiamen they could see. A few of them returned fire, but for the most part, they seemed focused on pinning down the convoy. Thus, they made easy pickings for Kirito's squad.

After a minute or so, Foley walked out of the building, making sure the Militiamen were all dead, before motioning to the others. "Come on, let's regroup with the convoy." Kirito's health was now fully recovered; he and the others hurried out from cover, as did the team from the Humvee in front of them. Kirito couldn't help noticing the body of the gunner lying amid the wreckage of the other Humvee.

"Should we…?" Liz began, but one of the players from the other squad shook his head sadly.

"It isn't his real body."

They had just reached the convoy when the sound of a tracked vehicle became audible behind them. Spinning, Kirito was relieved to see an Alliance Army soldier sticking his head out from the top of the M2 Bradley tank-like vehicle. "Heard you guys could use some help," the man said.

"We certainly could," replied Foley. "Squad, keep close to the Bradley. We may have to walk our way out of here."

Once again the convoy started up. As they continued through the streets, Kirito felt uneasy. Things were too quiet.

As if on cue, gunfire erupted from somewhere ahead. Foley pressed a hand to his left ear for a few moments before picking up his pace. "We've reached a schoolyard. Looks like it's crawling with Militia. The lead vehicle had to get out of there fast, and the rest are going to back up and make way for the Bradley. Team, we're going on foot to take the school!"

They ran through a few alleys and came out at the rear entrance to what looked like an elementary school. Foley kicked the door open and jumped to the side, waiting for enemy fire; when it didn't come, he motioned for Dunn to lead them into the school. One by one they walked in, guns at the ready, trying to be quiet – though from the sound of the firefight out in front, they needn't have.

As they approached a classroom door, Dunn peeked inside. "Empty." They began jogging towards the stairs, but then Kirito saw movement in another one of the classrooms. "Get down!" he hissed. Throwing themselves on the floor, the squad waited for enemy fire, but again, none came. Taking a breath, Ramirez stood with his M249 machine gun aimed at the windows into the classroom, many of which were broken, but he almost dropped his gun in surprise. "Kids! Little kids!"

Sure enough, tens of NPC children were huddled in a corner of the classroom, visibly shaking. Liz choked out a sob.

Foley pressed a hand to his ear again. "Convoy, be advised, there are still kids in the school, repeat, there're kids in the school." In the meantime, Liz lowered her gun, making to approach the pitiful figures. They couldn't have been older than eight or so. But they shrank back, whimpering. Dunn shook his head. "They don't know if we're any different from the Militia, and the Militia treats kids… well, like they treat all the other civilians…"

Foley sighed. "The convoy's being more careful with its fire, but we need to hurry if we're going to free them up before a Militiaman fires an RPG at them. The best thing we can do for these kids is to clear the school."

Kirito knew he was right, but he still had a hard time turning from the children and heading up the stairs. Liz was crying softly now.

As they reached the top steps, Foley peered out into the corridor before jerking back. "Multiple hostiles on this floor. They're firing on the convoy. Let's go, but keep an eye out for any civilians!" Then they moved up the stairs and into the corridor, keeping low and shooting any Militiamen firing out the windows at the schoolyard. Once the Militia became aware of their presence, they turned their attention to them, but they weren't quick enough. By the time the floor had been cleared, Kirito and the others had only taken a small amount of damage. The squad had discovered no more civilians.

Kirito aimed out the windows at the schoolyard, but no more Militiamen appeared. After Dunn and Ramirez had checked out the roof, Foley radioed the convoy to move along. Then he turned to the others.

"Local Command says the Militia's retreating. They're on the outskirts of the city now. Now we're going to search the city for stragglers and for wounded. Good work, everyone."

"How many…" Kirito started, afraid to learn the answer, "... did we lose?"

"Only two," replied Foley. "That Humvee gunner back in the streets and another one at the entrance to the schoolyard."

_Only two? _Kirito thought. _My first taste of combat in this game, and I already have two ghosts on my conscience. You'd think I'd be used to seeing people die after SAO… but then again, that was over a year ago, and I thought I'd been done with that since I found Asuna…_

Heading back down the stairs, Kirito and Liz both thought of their friends in this game, friends they didn't even know were still alive.

* * *

On the other side of the virtual world, deep inside a bunker, the leader of the National Bolshevik Movement was studying a map on his desk. He remained still, giving his full attention to the map, until someone knocked on the door.

"Enter." The leader said perfunctorily.

In came an officer. "Sir, the Fundamentalist Militia is on the retreat. They lost another city to the Alliance."

The leader did not look surprised. "I see. Tell them that if they expect to continue receiving funds, they should focus less on beating women and burning heretics and more on keeping the Alliance scum on the defensive. That is all."

The officer saluted before turning and leaving. As the door shut, the man at the desk allowed a small smile to break his otherwise emotionless face. "NPCs," he muttered. "Computer-controlled soldiers have their flaws, but their complete acceptance of orders isn't one of them."

* * *

**A/N: How was the first combat scene? Also, for those of you who got the ****_2001: A Space Odyssey_**** reference last chapter, well done!**

**Look Dave, I can see you're really upset that the chapter's over. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and submit a review.**


	4. Chapter 4: Desert Rat

**A/N: For those of you who've read the guide I linked to on my profile, I changed the concept of killstreaks a bit. Basically I made them more like extra points than something you can use immediately in battle.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_Sword Art Online_****. I also don't own ****_Medal of Honor: European Assault_****, on which parts of this chapter are based.**

Chapter 4: Desert Rat

The sun bore down upon the desert plateau. A few dazed Alliance soldiers were considering jumping off the cliff just to get into the shade that the plateau provided. Another poked her head out from behind a rock at the edge. "All quiet on the eastern front," she said, returning to her snoozing position.

"O' course," mumbled G-Takusu. "Whadja expect, dumbass?"

His friends chuckled. Silica tried to give the soldier a sympathetic look, but she was already asleep. Silicia herself was feeling very tired. But whenever she tried to get some rest, G-Takusu would nudge her none too gently with his boot. "C'mon, dolly," he'd say, "gotta do yer duty."

Sighing, she got on her belly and crawled around the rock she had been leaning on. Now she could see the massive desert valley below. Off in the distance, a lake shimmered temptingly – or was it a mirage? – and the dark bumps of a city could just barely be seen beyond the lake. That city was known to be part of the western border of NazBol territory._ Lucky them, they have a nice big lake._

Not for the first time, Silica wondered about the NazBols. She had never been in combat before. Soldiers returning from the front lines brought back stories of atrocities the enemy would commit against NPC civilians and their merciless nature of combat – and those were just the soldiers who were willing to talk. A good deal came back shell-shocked.

_I wonder if I'll be like them,_ thought the young girl sadly.

* * *

Having completed their assignment the previous day, Kirito and Liz were walking towards Mordred's office to receive a new one when a voice from behind called to them.

"Kii-bou?"

Kirito stopped in astonishment. Turning around, his suspicions were confirmed. Argo "the Rat" stood blinking at him in surprise. In place of a brown coat she wore the black SWAT-style uniform of the Spec Ops, but her trademark red "whiskers" were still there.

"Argo! What are you doing here?" He couldn't think of anything else to say. The two had known each other in SAO, but for the most part their relationship had been professional. Kirito hadn't seen her since before he beat Heathcliffe.

"That information will cost you," she replied with a straight face, but then the corner of her lips tugged up.

After Kirito had introduced Argo and Liz to each other, Argo gave them both sympathetic looks. "Stuck in another death game like me, huh?"

"Yeah. Though actually," added Kirito, "we were sent by the government to help clear the game. They figured having veterans of the last death game would help."

"Didn't they know they already had SAO survivors in the game?" Argo looked mildly insulted.

"Aren't you glad I'm here though?" Kirito grinned.

Argo gave him an "oh, please" look.

"You're right, though," observed Liz. "Come to think of it, I'm not really sure why that Suzuki-san asked us to go. Well, at least he asked Kirito. I kind of just followed. But we also want to make sure Asuna, Silica, and our other friends are alright."

At the mention of Asuna, Argo winced slightly. She tried to keep her expression neutral, but Kirito saw the change. "You've seen Asuna? Where is she? Have you heard?"

There was a pause, during which Kirito's heart turned to ice. Then Argo sighed. "Asuna was on my Spec Ops team. We were separated during one of our early missions. We looked for her, but we had to give up and get back behind our own lines. I'm sorry, Kirito." At this point she was staring at the ground.

Liz gasped. Kirito could have sworn his heart had stopped beating altogether. "… Then… she's…"

"She could have been captured," Argo said quickly. "We have observed NazBols taking prisoners occasionally. But… she may be dead."

Kirito's heartbeat faded back in, but it still felt icy. Asuna was MIA. Asuna, the love of his life, his wife in SAO, the adopted mother of Yui, could very well be dead. In a way, not knowing was worse than knowing for sure she was dead.

As Kirito stood frozen, eyes downcast, Liz, who was shedding tears quietly, glanced at him. His body language, the facial expression – they hurt her. Not just because she cared about him, not just because she cared about Asuna. As ugly as it was, she also felt jealous. Part of her wondered if Kirito would look that way if it had been Liz who had gone MIA. Furiously brushing that part of her aside, she put a hand on Kirito's shoulder. When he didn't respond, she wrapped her arms around him and held him, sobbing softly into the small of his back. This time, Kirito reacted by turning slowly around and hugging her back, though his face never changed.

Argo had no idea what to do. She had known Asuna in both _Sword Art Online_ and _Call of Honor Online_, but she hadn't known her as well as Kirito and Liz had. Standing there, the bearer of bad news, watching the other two embrace in misery, she felt out of place. She didn't belong here. She was just a rat, after all. _Should have sent the others back to base and stayed behind with her. Shouldn't have been a squad leader in the first place. Wouldn't have lost her. Should've-_

Her thoughts were interrupted as Kirito and Liz broke apart. The flow of Liz's tears had ebbed, and emotion had returned to Kirito's eyes. A lot of emotion. "We will find her. I will bring her back." In his head, Kirito added, _I won't lose her again._

Argo, still feeling very guilty, nodded. "I'll help. Speaking of which," she added as a thought occurred to her, "what were you guys up to before I interrupted you?"

"What'd you mean, 'what were we up to?'" Liz asked nervously before she could think.

"We were headed to Mordred's office for a new assignment," replied Kirito, making a visible effort to return to his normal demeanor. "We just got back from an anti-Militia op with the Army."

The idea in Argo's head started to flower. "I'll come with you."

A few minutes later, the three were admitted to Mordred's office. Mordred's greeting smile was wider this time. "Ah, welcome back, Kirito-kun, Liz-chan! That was some fine fighting over there. The Fundamentalist Militia is retreating! Oh, excuse me, and hello, Argo."

Argo returned the greeting while Kirito and Liz thanked him for the compliment.

"So… where to put you two next… Argo, any ideas?" the Commander asked.

"Actually, yes, sir," she responded with a hint of a smile. "I could use two more good players for my Spec Ops team. Would it be alright if they come with me?" Argo felt that this was the best way she could help Kirito find Asuna. She also kind of wanted to see him more often. She had hardly seen any other SAO veterans since Kirito had cleared the game, and she had begun to miss her best customer.

"Good idea," replied Mordred enthusiastically. "I can't think of anywhere else they're desperately needed at the moment. If it works out, maybe you two can stay with Argo and her team."

"Sounds good," said Liz. She had a feeling she was going to like this Argo.

"Sure," added Kirito, but not unenthusiastically. Now that he thought about it, fighting in the Spec Ops branch would probably be the best bet for finding Asuna, since they often went behind enemy lines. And it would be nice to travel with another person he knew.

After they left the office, Argo beckoned Kirito and Liz to follow her. "This way, Kii-bou, Liz-chan. You've got to change uniforms!"

* * *

After trading in their Army uniforms for Spec Ops outfits, they stopped by the HQ's vendor of the virtal weapons shop. Kirito stuck with his G36c and M1911, but Liz bought an M12 shotgun using a little of her experience points, while keeping her Desert Eagle pistol and putting her M4A1 assault rifle in her inventory. Argo was already satisfied with her silenced Mini-Uzi submachine gun and silenced M4A1. When Liz asked what a silencer was, Argo informed them about the various attachments one could add to a gun. A silencer, also known as a suppressor, deadened the sound of firing, hid the muzzle flash when firing, and reduced the recoil, while also reducing the effective range of the gun. Other attachments included a red dot sight like the one Kirito had on his G36c, an ACOG scope for a partially-zoomed-in view, a grenade launcher like the one in the tutorial, a bayonet, and a bipod stand. Certain guns could only take certain attachments. Bipods could only be used for machine guns and sniper rifles; bayonets and grenade launchers could only be used on certain rifles; red dot sights and ACOGs could only be attached to more modern weapons; and silencers could only be used for about half of the guns in the game. The only attachment pistols could take was a silencer, and some pistols didn't even take that. Finally, a gun could generally have just one attachment, though bipods didn't count.

Kirito and Liz learned all of this, as well as some Spec Ops-specific tips, over the remainder of the day. Argo finally let them sleep, but the next morning she woke them up early.

"Today, we're going to take out a NazBol reconnaissance station here," she declared, pointing to a spot on the map. Neither Kirito nor Liz responded. Coincidentally, neither Kirito nor Liz looked terribly enthusiastic about the amount of sleep they had been allowed.

Argo made another "oh, please" face. "Pffft. You'll get used to it. Come on, I'll introduce you to the rest of the team."

She herded them into an Air Force hangar, where, in addition to the various Air Force personnel, a few Spec Ops soldiers had gathered. Kirito and Liz were surprised to see Snow, but probably not as surprised as Snow was. "Don't tell me these idiots are the new recruits."

"Unfortunately," replied Argo, provoking growls from her companions.

"Hey!" Liz pointed at herself and Kirito. "These _idiots_ just kicked some Fundie ass the other day!"

"Good," continued Argo, as she lay out the map for her team. "You guys need to be kick-ass to fight with us. Now, here's the plan…"

An hour later, Kirito, Liz, Argo, Snow, and three other Spec Ops soldiers were transported by a UH-1 Iroquois (aka Huey) helicopter to a ridge not far from the target. The team moved quickly, knowing that the enemy had seen them coming.

Sure enough, NazBols began appearing within a minute or two of the heli's departure. As he moved from sand hill to sand hill, Kirito took a look at the primary antagonists of _Call of Honor Online_. They appeared much more heavily armed than the Militia. Each NazBol moved with the sureness of a professional soldier. But were they professional enough to take on the Alliance Spec Ops?

Apparently not; Argo and her team managed to eliminate them without much trouble while they bobbed and weaved towards the recon building. As the team neared the hill containing the building, a path up the hill became visible. They could either use the path or climb the rocks surrounding it. Argo ordered everyone to the left at the bottom of the hill. They could hear shouts in another strange language. Argo peered around the corner of the rock ledge with her M4A1, slowly walked towards the other side of the path, then waved the others onward. Suddenly a NazBol came into view at the top of the hill.

"Stay low!" shouted Kirito. As the others bent down out of view of the enemy, Kirito aimed his G36c and fired a single bullet. The NazBol's head disappeared in a brief explosion of virtual blood. _Dang, I'm getting good at this_, thought Kirito, before leading the way up the hill.

As they reached the top, several NazBols began firing from cover behind stacks of wooden crates. Snow threw a grenade, allowing the rest of the team to dive behind some crates. The grenade hadn't killed any of the enemies, but now that they had cover, Argo's team began to pick them off as they broke cover to fire.

"Clear!" called Snow, and the team hurried towards the entrance of the building. Using her shotgun, Liz shot open the door and Argo tossed in a flashbang grenade to blind and deafen any enemies inside. They quickly entered the building, taking down the disoriented NazBols, before moving room by room to the second floor. NazBol soldiers surprised Kirito more than once by popping out from behind crate piles, but the others shot the enemy before Kirito took too much damage. Finally, they reached the computer room.

"Jamison, explosives!" called Argo. One of the other Spec Ops members planted a C4 pack on what appeared to be the main computer. After everyone had gotten out of the room, Jamison took out a remote detonation device and pushed the button.

"No more radar for the NazBols," said Liz, smirking.

Any sense of victory was quickly forgotten as they jogged out of the building. A hailstorm of bullets hit the team member in front, causing him to stagger.

Thinking fast, Argo motioned to Kirito, Liz, Snow, and Jamison. "You four, to the crates over on the left! I'll get Platt. Abbot, cover me!" As Abbot opened fire on the enemies waiting at the bottom of the hill, Argo moved towards Platt, who had crouched to avoid fire but was disoriented from taking so much damage at once. She grabbed him and half-guided, half-dragged him to the crates where the others waited. Abbot threw a grenade to discourage the NazBols from immediately pursuing them.

While Platt recovered, Argo tried to get a view downhill without exposing herself. "Any ideas?"

Kirito glanced around; moving to the rock edge of the hill, he peered down. At a certain point, the slope was relatively smooth. "We could slide down there. We'd be out of view until we surprise them by coming around the hill instead of down the front path."

Argo nodded approvingly. "Alright, go!"

First Kirito, then Liz, then Snow jumped down onto the rock slope. It was a bit like snowboarding without the board. Kirito had to keep switching between watching the front of the hill and paying attention so that he didn't hit a boulder or fall off. Liz almost lost her balance, and her shout of alarm might have been audible had the team members still at the top not been firing. Snow, on the other hand, slid smoothly down the hill, keeping her MP5 submachine gun trained on the corner around which the enemy lay. At the bottom of the slope she jumped off, pointedly landing right in front of Kirito.

"Show off," grumbled the latter. Despite the situation, Liz giggled softly.

Soon after, they were joined by Platt, now mostly recovered from his close call. Jamison, Abbot, and finally Argo slid down too. Immediately the group stacked up before the corner of the hill. After leaning out to see if the NazBols still thought they were at the top of the hill (which they evidently did), Argo sprinted out away from the hill. "Now!"

The ten to fifteen NazBol troops were taken completely by surprise. After only a few seconds, the Spec Ops team were the only ones left standing.

"Good work, team," said Argo, reloading her M4A1. The chopper will pick us up where it dropped us off. Let's move before any more NazBols pop up out of the sand."

* * *

"Not bad for your first Spec Ops mission, you two," remarked Argo as the team got back to HQ.

"I'm surprised that recon station wasn't better-guarded," said a tired Liz, plopping down in a chair. Immediately she realized the chair was occupied. Slowly, she turned her head… _Oh please, don't be K-_ Liz stared at the boy whose lap she was sitting in before hopping up with a squeak that would have put a guinea pig to shame.

Kirito quickly got up. "Eheh… sorry, Liz, kind of slipped in there… I'll find another seat…" Kirito made sure to check that the seat opposite hers was unoccupied before sitting down.

Argo had her back to them, making a drink. "Keep in mind, though, those were just regular National Bolshevik troops." She turned to face Liz, walking over to a chair with a cup in hand. "Their Army, if you will. The elite troops, now there's something –" She had sat down a bit too hard, spilling hot liquid on the person who was already occupying that chair. Slowly, she turned her head and stared at the boy whose lap she was sitting in before saying, "Kii-bou, you're in my seat."

"Nice hot chocolate."

"Thank you. Now move."

"If you get off of me."

When she did, Kirito laughed appreciatively. Liz looked less amused. "Ahem. You were saying, Argo?" she asked.

Argo reddened ever so slightly. "The elite NazBols – the Stormtroopers – have better Artificial Intelligence than the rest of them. Their weapons also do more damage. If you're caught in the open in front of Stormtroopers…" Her face darkened. "There's not much you can do."

Kirito glanced over at Abbott, Platt, and Jamison, who were sitting with some other Spec Ops teams. _Good thing that recon station didn't have Stormtroopers. Otherwise, Platt might not be here._

Snow, who had been sitting silently with her eyes closed, gave a deep sigh then. Suddenly, Kirito felt very tired. Argo yawned, making her whiskers shift. "All right. Time for bed, team. We don't have a new assignment yet, but we should-"

"-get some rest anyway," finished Liz with another yawn.

* * *

That night, Kirito lay in his barracks bed, thinking. Besides clearing _CHO_, he had a personal mission to find each of his friends trapped in the game. So far, he had found one friend he hadn't even thought of in the first place. And of course, Liz found him. That left Klein, Agil, Silica, and… Asuna.

Kirito didn't sleep well.

* * *

**The author, wearing a tattered cloak and smelling of pizza, stumbles into the reader and holds out a cup. "Please, good sirs and madams, spare me a review?"**


	5. Chapter 5: On the Air

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. School an' all. Also, I'm afraid I've become a brony. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_Sword Art Online_****. I also don't own ****_Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, _****on which much of this chapter is based.**

Chapter 5: On the Air

The desert plateau baked as usual. On this day, though, no Alliance soldiers sat guard at the top, catching naps and peering out from behind rocks at the far-off lake in the east. For more than an hour after sunrise, only the occasional gust of wind disrupted the silence that had settled over the area. That changed as the flock of UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters approached from the west.

"Almost at the cliff," Silica could hear the pilot of her Blackhawk announce on his radio. She almost wanted to lean out and get a good view ahead, but she was terrified as it was, sitting in the open door with her legs dangling, watching the ground below pass. _Helicopters are this fast?! Oh god…_

The young soldier was unprepared, therefore, when the ground suddenly disappeared as the fleet passed over the edge of the plateau. In one instant, she had gone from flying at high speed just above roof level to flying at high speed at skyscraper level. Before she could squeak in surprise, the fleet began descending, keeping as low to the ground as possible so as to minimize radar detection. After extracting her stomach from her lung area, Silica sighed quietly. _I'm probably too scared to even throw up…_

In a minute or so, the desert terrain gave way to sky-blue water. She could see the reflection of other helicopters on the lake. Curiosity overcame her fear enough for her to lean forward just a bit, enough to see… _Oh wow... _her face looking back up at her. Silica almost smiled, but then – it could have been ripples on the water from the helicopter blades, but she thought she saw a pigtail poking out from under her helmet. The poor girl sighed. _Of all the times to have hair problems..._

Before she could do much with her hair, the fleet slowed down. The lake ended; they had reached the NazBol-held city. The Blackhawk Silica was riding in turned slightly, then halted, hovering above the ground. Ropes dropped out of each of the Blackhaws and troops began sliding down. Silica hurriedly followed suit. When she hit the ground, she followed the other troops in a rush towards the first row of houses. The fleet turned around and headed back to base before the NazBols, who were already visible in the streets and on the rooftops, could shoot them down.

Vasquez, the officer leading the assault, yelled over the opening shots. "We've got to spread out. Push! And remember, watch for civilians in the buildings!"

The soldier next to Silica peered around the corner of the building, firing at some NazBols on the rooftops with his MP40 submachine gun. After a minute, the firing died down. "They're staying back," he reported.

Vasquez motioned to the groups taking cover behind other buildings. "Right. Let's move up. Stay close to the walls. Mongoose, take point."

"Roger," replied the soldier as he slowly went around the corner, watching for movement directly in front. Silica followed, keeping her tiny Skorpion submachine gun trained on the rooftops.

While she walked, Silica mentally went over her training. This was her first time in combat, at least in this game. She wondered how different the experience would be from SAO.

"Dolly," muttered a voice behind here. Silica jumped; she hadn't realized G-Takusu was right behind her. "Yer shakin'. Sure yer up to this? Heh, too late anyway…" he continued, malice evident in his tone.

To her surprise, Mongoose called back without turning around. "Knock it off, G-Takusu."

G-Takusu made a "hmph" but complied.

After they had cleared another block, Vasquez jogged up from behind. "There's the target building. On me!" The others followed him to the door of a nearby building. Silica could hear other groups of Alliance troops engaged in battle, but this area of the city seemed… quiet. Hopefully this was a sign that Waraabe was inside this building.

The higher-up officers of the NazBols had names, in contrast to the nameless, randomly-generated low-ranking counterparts. One of these officers was Waraabe, the leader of the NazBol presence in the city and surrounding area. Compared to many other named enemies, Waraabe had a high profile, often appearing in broadcasts picked up by the Alliance, instilling the "virtues" of National Bolshevism in the civilians under his control. Commander Mordred and other high-ranking officers at HQ suspected that capturing or eliminating Waraabe would deal a significant blow to the NazBols. This mission's purpose, besides taking the city, was to take Waraabe himself – dead or alive.

As Silica and the others lined up along the back of the building, Vasquez attached a C4 explosive package to the door. "Blasting!" The explosion shook the entire structure. A soldier peered into the room, shouted "Clear!", and entered, followed by the rest of them.

"Silica, take point." Vasquez's command came as a surprise to the girl, and it must have shown on her face, for the officer's grim expression softened. "Can you do that?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Silica, forcing firmness into her voice. _If I'm going to fight my way out of another death game, I might as well start learning now_. Taking out her TT-33 pistol, she led the way down to the basement, stopping before an open doorway. She heard shouts from somewhere nearby. Taking a deep breath, Silica whipped around the corner, gun ready.

Her first shot missed by less than a foot; luckily, the NazBol she was aiming for was in the process of picking up a gun from the table in front of him, so by the time he raised his weapon, Silica's second shot took him down. Silica didn't have time to think about her first kill as two more enemies ran out from an adjacent room. Her hands were shaking, though, so her magazine quickly ran out before the NazBols were dead. They unleashed their assault rifles on her. Thinking quickly, Silica switched to her Skorpion and mowed the two down. Then she entered the room, allowing those behind her in the stairwell to enter as well.

While Silica stared at the virtual bodies, telling herself over and over again that they didn't represent real people, Vasquez led the way to the door on the far side of the room. When he glanced around the doorway, bullets immediately whipped past him. Vasquez fired a single burst from his M16 assault rifle before taking cover. A NazBol's scream confirmed the results of the officer's accuracy. "Mongoose, throw a flashbang. There's a ton of them in there."

Mongoose obliged, then led the charge into the room. The NazBols neither saw nor heard what killed them.

They searched the rest of the building, but no one was there. Vasquez radioed back to base that Waraabe had not been found in the target building. After a few moments, a reply came back.

"Roger that," said Vasquez as he signed out. "All right, people, listen up. Waraabe just started broadcasting at a TV station further into the city. Let's go."

They joined another of group of Alliance soldiers and began making their way down the streets. Soon, large numbers of NazBols began appearing from further down the street, and a fierce firefight broke out. Silica tried to poke her head out from around the corner every now and then, but each time she did, a hail of bullets missed her by an inch. Vasquez and some others took an alley route around the buildings, surprising the NazBols by popping out near their flank. Eventually the street was clear and Silica and the others moved up.

The next half hour or so was spent moving through the city. At one point, they became pinned down by a pickup truck with a machine gunner in the back. A few Alliance soldiers came close to dying, but combined fire from their comrades blew the truck up. Later, they came upon a bazaar crawling with NazBols. In the resulting close combat, Silica herself took much damage, but with her squadmates backing her up, she pushed through.

Silica surprised herself with how calm she was. She had expected to freak out like she had so long ago in SAO. Instead, her mind forced the very real-looking carnage to the back of her consciousness. _Just get this over with, Silica_, she thought. _You are the beast-tamer. You are __the__ Silica. You've done this before…_

* * *

Finally, they made it to the TV station. Once again, Vasquez blew up the door. As they filed in, though, Silica noticed the silence, even eerier than the one outside the first building they stormed. Quietly, the group filed through the hallway, encountering no resistance. Then they approached what appeared to be a large room. Many cubicles and TV screens were visible through the doorway. Still no enemies could be seen or heard, but Silica had a feeling… _There's no way that room's empty. _Apparently, Vasquez felt the same, because he threw a flashbang before charging in. Silica ran for the far side of the room, towards an open office door, followed by G-Takusu and one of his friends. When they reached the door, a NazBol with a shotgun stepped out, and all hell broke loose.

Silica managed to shoot the NazBol, but as she dove into the doorway, she realized to her dismay that several more were in the room. She took a hit to the chest before she and the others behind her cleared the room. Even then, more enemies announced their presence in the next room. The windows of the office shattered as NazBols in the balcony of the main room took aim at the Alliance soldiers in the offices. And then Silica heard a _clink_. Recognizing the sound from training, she dove behind a desk just before the grenade exploded.

The noise was indescribable. Her vision became almost entirely red. Her heart pounded in her ears, drowning out the sounds of fighting. She was frozen, completely in shock, as she lay on the floor, hands over her head, staring at the body of an Alliance soldier a few feet away.

What had been pushed to the back of her mind before now came crashing down all at once.

It was worse than SAO. It was ten times worse than SAO.

Silica remembered lying there; for how long, she had no idea. Eventually, she heard Mongoose behind her.

"Jackson, where'd G-Takusu and Brenner go?"

"I think they ran back into the hall, the ****ing cowards."

"We have to get Silica out of here. I'll carry her, you cover me!"

She felt herself being picked up by Mongoose. As he ran with her through the offices towards another door to the main room, Silica managed to get a hazy look at her savior. He was a boy, around Kirito's age; skinny, like him, but with brown hair and a bit of acne. His blue eyes noticed her looking at him, and he flashed a quick grin before focusing again. Silica numbly wondered if she should be embarrassed.

As they re-entered the main room and took cover behind a row of cubicles, Jackson took out many NazBols with his M4A1. Either he was an extremely good shot, or she had been spaced out long enough for the Alliance to clear most of the room – probably both, she thought – because soon the fighting ceased abruptly. By this time, Silica realized that her health had recovered. Shaking her head, she was surprised to feel tears running down her cheeks. _Where did those come from…_ Mongoose squeezed her shoulder before letting her go.

"Let's head upstairs," called Vasquez as he and the others emerged from what once were cubicles. They went from the main room to the lobby, where the large windows showed other Alliance soldiers waiting outside. Silica hoped this meant that they had taken the city. All that remained was finding Waraabe. Vasquez led the way up the stairs in the lobby to the second floor, where they navigated through a series of hallways before reaching a room at the end of the corridor. A voice from was clearly audible from inside the room. Someone appeared to be making a speech.

"This is it," whispered Vasquez. And he kicked the door open. The group rushed into the room to find…

… no one. Only a propped up TV camera, a switchboard, and a few TV screens, all showing Waraabe giving a propaganda speech.

Silica suddenly realized how odd it would be for Waraabe to be in that room, still making his speech, after a lengthy and noisy battle downstairs had made it clear that he was in danger.

"The broadcast is a recording." Mongoose's voice was quiet. None of the others spoke. After a few seconds, Vasquez took out his radio and informed HQ that the city had been taken, but Waraabe had not been found. He stood listening for a minute before putting the radio away.

Another moment of silence. Then Silica found her voice. "H-… how many of us d-died?"

"Eight," replied Vasquez without looking at her. Silica felt herself zoning out again. This knowledge, combined with the fact that Waraabe had escaped, made the capture of the city feel like a loss. The image of herself in the helicopter over the water, gazing down at her reflection as they sped across the lake, came randomly into her mind. She felt that she had changed unimaginably between then and now. But in what ways? Her eyes were too busy remembering bodies, of both NPCs and real players; her ears were too busy remembering each explosion, from the big ones made by RPGs to the comparatively tiny ones that occurred each time a gun fired a bullet. At the moment, her mind was in no shape to reflect on the day's events.

A TV screen shattered as Jackson slammed it with the butt of his rifle.


	6. Chapter 6: The Labyrinth

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_Sword Art Online_****. I also don't own ****_Medal of Honor: Rising Sun_****, on which this chapter is based.**

Chapter 6: The Labyrinth

Kirito strained his eyes.

They were slowly making their way via inflatable motorboats towards an island not far from the city where Kirito and Liz had gotten their first taste of combat. Most of the remaining Militia had fled to the island following their retreat. It was unknown if the island had any virtual inhabitants, but the Militia were close enough to cause trouble, so HQ ordered the island to be taken by a combined force of Army and Spec Ops troops. The Spec Ops would land quietly at one end of the island, distracting the Militia while the Army prepared to take the other end.

Given that it was night time and the moon was obscured by clouds, both of the motorboats held a small battery-run lamp. The dim light was just enough that Kirito could make out the approaching island. The coast was much longer than he had imagined it would be. As the sound of crickets faded in, Kirito glanced at the other boat, containing Snow, Liz, and three others. Some Spec Ops troops swapped teams in between missions, so besides Argo, Snow, and Liz, the faces were all new to Kirito. Once he spotted Liz, she seemed to sense his eyes; she turned her face towards him. Though there was barely any light, Kirito could tell she looked nervous. But then Liz grinned and gave a thumbs up. _Gee, what've I come to?_ she thought, hoping Kirito would buy her sudden act of confidence. _I've got to stop showing Kirito my weak side._

Kirito didn't look convinced, but he turned his gaze back to the shoreline, which was now almost upon them. Straight ahead was a river mouth. Argo, who was piloting Kirito's boat, motioned for Snow, who was piloting the other, to fall behind them. One after the other the two boats entered the river.

This island, in stark contrast to the desert back on the mainland, was evidently a jungle. Thick foliage covered both river banks. The sound of crickets was almost overpowering at first, but as they got further inland, the bugs seemed to stay behind. Or maybe they just went quiet.

One of the soldiers in Kirito's boat broke the troops' silence with a whisper. "How deep do you think this water is?" asked Adams.

Davis, the other, grinned humorlessly. "What's the matter, can't you swim?"

"Shut up, Davis."

"You shut up."

"Can the chatter up there," Argo hissed, eyes scanning the banks. The two men, rather shamefaced, returned to keeping lookout. Kirito turned his head to see Snow's boat, but then –

Rustling.

Instantly the Spec Ops teams turned their weapons towards the right bank, where two Militiamen emerged from the trees and dashed into the water.

"Targets, two o' clock," announced Argo, no longer bothering to keep her voice down. The Militiamen aimed their rifles at her, but Kirito and the others were too fast. Both were soon resting on the riverbed.

No further enemies appeared immediately, so Argo kept the boat moving further down the winding river. But they didn't have to wait long. A campfire became visible in the distance. Davis raised his Springfield bolt-action sniper rifle. Once they had gotten close enough to see a figure near the fire, he opened fire, taking out the Militiaman. Several others appeared from the trees, but they were running so close together that Kirito was able to down them with a single spray from his G36c. Behind him, he could swear he heard Liz give an appreciative whistle.

A few minutes of agonizing nothingness went by. The river twisted and turned often; soon, Kirito had no idea which direction they had come from. _Good thing Argo's got a compass_, he thought.

Suddenly, something whizzed by his ear; at almost the same time, the sound of a nearby gunshot reached him. Kirito instinctively ducked, turning his rifle in the direction of the shot. No shooter could be seen. A moment of silence, and then another bullet whizzed towards the boat, striking Davis hard in the shoulder. The player was almost knocked over the side of the boat by the force, the top half of his body hanging precariously over the edge.

"Davis is hit!" cried Adams, standing up, seemingly forgetting all about taking cover. Argo stayed down. "Adams, grab him! Pull him back up!" Adams was about to comply, when Davis, who had been silent and lifeless as if in shock, gasped softly.

"… There's something in the water…"

Before Kirito could comprehend the man's sentence, the boat rocked violently. Davis was pulled further out of the boat by something Kirito couldn't see. He latched onto one of Davis' boots while Adams grabbed his torso, but Davis could not be retrieved – and then they saw why. A scaly-green crocodile, black eyes sparking, teeth glinting in the light, had Davis' front half lodged in its jaws. In horror, Kirito and Adams pulled uselessly, but another second, and the crocodile splashed back into the water, taking Davis with it. The boat stopped rocking, leaving a stunned Spec Ops team.

"… We lost him…" Adams mumbled, staring at the ripples.

Kirito had noticed birds and small mammals back at HQ. But he had no idea these virtual animals could be more than just scenery.

Argo reached forward, putting a hand on the soldier's shoulder and forcing him down, though gently and with a short squeeze afterward. "Keep your eyes open!" she hissed to the rest of them.

Whoever had shot Davis seemed to have disappeared completely, for no more enemies were encountered for the rest of the boat trip. In another few minutes, the river narrowed down significantly. A dirt beach protruded from the right bank up ahead. Argo motioned to Snow, and the two of them beached the motorboats. Each Spec Ops soldier hopped out. Liz immediately stood next to Kirito, trying to hold back tears from the frightening episode a few minutes ago, but once she saw where he was looking, she felt the damn burst, if silently. Adams stood stiff, breathing slowly, his gaze back down the river, waiting for the man who had so recently teased him to join them on the beach.

Argo gave Adams' shoulder another squeeze before walking past, an uncommon amount of sadness showing in her eyes. Kirito realized he had seldom seen Argo get emotional before. "We'll leave the boats here. We have to move out," she said. And with that, she began approaching the tree line ahead, silenced M4 carbine at the ready. Kirito, Liz, Snow, and the three others from Snow's boat followed, Adams bringing up the rear.

* * *

Soon the beach was behind them as they made their way through the trees. Argo pushed her way through a particularly thick bunch of leaves, but then froze. Peering over her shoulder, Kirito could make out a clearing – a very conspicuous clearing. Just as he noticed the bunker on the other side, the Militia opened fire.

The team dived back from the opening in the shrubbery, only to hear the battle cries of Militiamen charging from the direction they had come from. Argo shouted over the madness. "Kirito, Liz, Snow, with me around the right side of this clearing! Adams, take everyone else to the left. Move, move!"

Dodging bullets all around them, Kirito, Liz, and Argo circumnavigated the clearing. The Militiamen they came across were surprised; they had probably expected the combined fire from the machine gun in the bunker and their comrades behind the Spec Ops team to wipe them out. The three players managed to reach the other side of the clearing, coming up on the bunker. Liz took out the Militiamen inside with her shotgun. A moment later, Adams and the other three reached their position, Militia in hot pursuit. The enemies weren't expecting the bunker to have fallen. They paid the price for their assumption.

Having cleared the area, Argo checked her compass. "Okay, we're still going in the right direction. A bit farther up ahead and we'll split up. Snow, take point."

They continued on. A few minutes later, Snow froze, motioning for the others to be quiet. Once they had stopped moving, voices became audible, as well as the crackling of a fire. The team snuck slowly forward until they had a view of the situation: a small campsite on a slight hill overlooking a pickup truck. Argo motioned for everyone to spread out around the little clearing. Once they were in position, Adams led the surprise attack, shouting, "This one's for Davis!" In all, they took out about ten Militiamen.

Kirito went to secure the truck and received a scare when an enemy lying in the truck bed with a machine gun very nearly took his head off. Fortunately, Liz had kept her eye on Kirito. As the hidden enemy began firing, she reacted automatically. In the time it took for the gunner to fire off two or three rounds, all whizzing by Kirito's head, Liz's arm flew to her pistol holster, grabbed her Desert Eagle, brought it up, and fired three quick rounds. Kirito, who had fallen to the ground in shock, was almost as shocked when he stood up and got a look at Liz's marksmanship. Three virtual bullet holes – in the back, collar, and head – lay in the unfortunate Militiaman. Speechless, he turned to Liz, as if asking her to explain what she had done. For her part, once the fact that Kirito was not dead sank in, Liz blushed. _God, he looks like a fish. Look at him, opening and closing his mouth like that. So frickin' adorable _-

"Nice save there, Liz-chan." Argo's words brought Liz and Kirito back to the situation. "With the Deagle's recoil, that couldn't have been easy," she continued, walking past them. Liz felt a pang of annoyance at the team leader's interruption of her Kiri-fish moment, but when he gave her a grin, she felt better.

Argo led everyone to the rear of the truck. "Okay. Now should be the time to split up. Snow, take Adams and Novotny and cover the north side of the island. I'll take Spinelli and Whitfield on the south side." As she turned to the remaining two players, she frowned. "Liz, Kii-bou, can you take the middle? You'll be down a player."

Kirito glanced at Liz, who smiled a bit wider than she probably should have. "We can do it, Argo-chan!"

Argo's frown remained, but she nodded. Digging into a pocket, she threw them a compass. Turning to Snow, she asked, "You got a compass, right?"

Snow smiled. "Naturally."

"All right then. We meet on the east side with the Army. Good luck."

The team went their separate way. After a few seconds of jogging, Liz glanced at Kirito. "Kirito-kun, you _do_ have the compass, right?"

Kirito grinned, wiggling the device at her. "Of course. Why, did you think we'd get lost that quickly?"

"Um, well, yes."

"Oh. Um… silly you then."

"Yep."

The two stared at each other awkwardly as they moved, not sure what to say. Then Liz crosses her eyes and imitated a fish. Kirito gave a guffaw.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's you."

"Whaaaaa?"

Before Kirito could ask Liz what he had done to deserve comparison to a fish, the path they were following narrowed. Up ahead was an opening in the foliage. Slowing down, Kirito and Liz cautiously poked their heads out of the opening. Beyond it was a wide path running about a quarter-mile and ending with what appeared to be a T junction. Near the end, on either side of the path, stood two wooden watchtowers. Quickly, Kirito and Liz pulled their heads back in, hoping no guards had seen them.

"We could go through the jungle for cover," suggested Kirito.

Liz frowned. "The foliage down there looks really thick. Not only would it be difficult making our way through it, we'd be very noisy, too."

Kirito held up his G36c, examining it. "Hmm… this is the longest-range gun we have, but it's not nearly enough to snipe those guards with. We'd have to get much closer."

Liz continued frowning, deep in thought. For inspiration, she took another look out at the path, and after a minute of observing, got an idea. "Hey, Kirito, look closely at the guards in the watchtowers. Can you see them?"

Kirito obliged, squinting in the darkness. "I… I can see them… What about it?"

"Notice their walking pattern."

"Huh?" Kirito watched the distant figures of the guards closely. Each appeared to be walking slowly in a clockwise pattern at the observation level of the towers. A moment later, Kirito caught on. "Oh! Their walk is in synch! That's weird."

"So," continued Liz, "we might be able to sneak up if we keep close to trees and move when they're both looking away."

"Excellent, Liz." Kirito gave her another grin, which made her turn away to hide any warmth in her cheeks. _Well,_ _maybe fighting for our lives in the jungle will be fun after all._

The two spent the next few minutes creeping up the path. Neither of the tower guards saw anything of interest. Finally, feeling he was close enough, Kirito took aim with his G36c and drove a bullet through the head of the guard in the left tower. The other guard cried out in alarm, looking for the source of the shot, but Kirito found him before he found Kirito.

Emerging from the shadows of the trees, Kirito and Liz stood at the T junction, unsure of their next move. "Right or left?" asked Kirito after a pause.

"You're the one with the compass," reminded Liz, rolling her eyes.

"Oh. Right. Eheh." Kirito took out the compass. "Well, we're supposed to be heading east, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"East is that way." He pointed into the thick foliage directly in front of them.

"Huh."

After another pause, Kirito rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, we probably ought to stick to the path. But there's no indication that either of these paths eventually turns east again…"

Having felt indecisive for too long, Liz marched off to the left. "Let's go north a bit and see how far the path goes."

"Sounds good." Kirito put away the compass again and followed Liz. "I mean, with a compass, we have little chance of getting lost, right?"

* * *

It was the better part of an hour later when the two friends returned to the T junction from the north path. Both looked decidedly less confident in their chances of reaching their destination. As it turned out, the north path led to a small construction site, which, although inactive for the night, still hosted some Militiamen. After much taking cover behind a tractor crane, Kirito and Liz managed to clear the site, only to discover that the path continued north. They turned around to go back the way they came, but it seemed like there were more twists and turns in the path than they remembered. Needless to say, they were relieved to see the two guard towers again.

So now they took the south path. "I swear," muttered Liz as she walked, "if I never saw a tree again after this, I'd be okay with-"

"Shh." Kirito held up a finger, keeping them both still for a moment, before tiptoeing forward. Soon a two-story, open-walled structure appeared around a bend, surrounded by stacks of boxes. It looked like some sort of storage facility. No one appeared to be present, but Kirito halted, pointing to one particularly wide box pile. Liz nodded, moved silently forward, leaned around the stack… and shot the Militiaman hiding in ambush.

Shouts ahead indicated the presence of more enemies. Sure enough, several popped out from behind boxes and crates on the ground and on both floors of the structure. Liz jumped back around the box pile she and Kirito were using for cover. Taking out her pistol, the former blacksmith glanced at the former swordsman. "I'll take out the ones on the ground. Cover me."

While Kirito fired bursts of covering fire, Liz leaned out again and downed an enemy leaning from behind his own stack of boxes. They repeated this until there were no more enemies on the ground. Then they dashed forward to the next box stack. By this time, Kirito had taken out most of the Militiamen in the structure. Liz rushed the sole remaining enemy on the first floor while Kirito threw a grenade up onto the second. Cries of alarm were cut off by an explosion that punctured the floor above the players, showering Kirito in woodchips. After a few moments, Liz crept up the stairs, making sure that the second level was clear, before trotting back down, only to nearly collapse in giggles at the sight of Kirito, who stood frozen with a "really?" expression.

"Eheheh, Kirito-kun, heh, I like your h-hair!"

The boy in question closed his eyes in irritation as he silently tried to rescue his hair from the rubble. Fortunately for Liz, this caused him to mistake the abrupt stop in her giggles as an attempt to be polite, as he didn't see her growing blush. _Don't say you like his hair, baka, _she thought angrily to herself. _Great. Now he knows you like his hair._

"… Liz?"

"Hm?" Liz turned, realizing she had spaced out. Her blush deepened, prayed what little light out wasn't enough to illuminate her face. "Sorry. Let's go."

Over the next half hour, the two made their way east, encountering a few Militia squads on the way. At several points they almost got lost; after a shootout in the jungle with hidden, even camouflaged enemies, it was easy to forget which way they had come. Kirito struggled to keep his eyes on the compass and scan for enemies at the same time, but the night sky was congested with clouds again, making both tasks nearly impossible. When the sky finally cleared, Kirito felt like jumping for joy, but the feeling subsided when the dim light revealed the shadow of a building in the trees ahead.

The pair crept up to the side of the building, approaching a corner. They could see multiple Militiamen standing in front. Kirito furrowed his brow, trying to think of an effective way to take out the enemies, but Liz had beat him to it. She pointed to the ground directly in front of the building: it was indented with tire tracks leading inside, indicating that the building they were hiding next to was a garage.

A minute later, the sound of a rock hitting a tree sent the Militiamen in front hurrying away from the building towards the source of the noise. Meanwhile, Kirito and Liz slipped around the corner and entered the garage. This time, it was the sound of a shotgun that attracted the Militia's attention, but before they could do much besides turn around, Kirito had jumped into the bed of a truck with a conveniently-placed Type 92 heavy machine gun.

After all visible enemies had ben mowed down, Liz walked slowly out of the garage, looking around, before giving Kirito the all clear. The path in front of the house, according to the compass, went north or south.

"Which way?" asked Kirito.

"Let's try north," responded Liz on a whim. "I've got a good feeling about going north this time."

"Just hope it turns east soon."

"Obviously."

Kirito yawned, before cringing. "Ow."

Liz turned around. "What?"

"My ears popped."

"I'll call an ambulance."

"Uh, why would I nee- oh, that was sarcasm."

"Give the man a prize!"

"… wait. That was sarcasm too."

"Haha, you must really be sleepy."

"Heh, so are you."

"No I'm not, sleepyhead!"

"Yeah, well you're a sillypuss."

"You're a grumpy-face."

"Candy-hair."

"Woodchip-hair."

"Shotgun noob."

"Hater."

"Camper."

"Treads."

"L- wait, what?" Kirito gave Liz a bewildered look.

Liz wasn't joking anymore. "Treads. Tank treads. Listen." Sure enough, the squeak of treads and the dull roar of an engine could be heard ahead.

"Hey Liz?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm thinking we should have gone south."

The sudden emergence of a Type 95 Ha-Go tank up ahead, accompanied by a Militia squad, made a reply unnecessary. The two Spec Ops players turned tail and dashed madly back towards the garage, weaving side to side to avoid becoming an easy target. The Militiamen and their tank gave chase. Soon they passed the garage. As he ran, Kirito glanced longingly at the truck. _No time to get in, even if we had the keys. Damn._

The path curved sharply to the left. Kirito and Liz nearly tripped when a tank shell hit some nearby trees. They hoped to lose the tank in the twists and turns in the path, but while the tank slowed down to navigate, the Militia on foot didn't.

Feeling bullets whizzing by his ear, Kirito spit, not having the breath to gulp. "Should we try to hide in the trees?" he shouted.

"Too risky," Liz shouted back. "If they see us we're done for!"

"Well we can't just keep running. How many grenades do you think we'd need to take out the tank?"  
"I have no idea! Wait – is that a clearing up ahead?"

As they soon found out, it was a bit more than a clearing.

"This… island… has an airfield?" gasped Liz in between breaths.

"I guess so! Let's try to find cover. It's hard to see, but I think there's something down the runway a bit. Might be a hangar-"

"AA gun!"

"Or an anti-aircraft gun, okay…"

"No, I mean, look, Kirito, an AA gun!" As Kirito squinted, the shape of a four-barreled anti-aircraft turret became clear. As soon as they reached it, Kirito dove onto the seat. _How do you work this thing? _he thought frantically. _How does it rotate?!_ He tried pushing it. _Oh. That's how._ Turning the large turret around and lowering it to face the Militia, who were not far behind, Kirito began firing, while Liz stood behind him, taking cover.

"Kirito!" she called out over the gunfire. "They're too far away for either of my guns to work well! Let me take the big gun, you take out the foot soldiers with your rifle."

A bullet glanced off the turret, missing Kirito's left hand by an inch. "Good idea."

Switching places with Liz, Kirito began picking off the Militiamen, who had kept their distance once they saw the players manning the AA gun. Liz focused on the tank. If this particular AA gun had fired explosive rounds, the tank probably wouldn't have been able to take much, but since it fired machine gun rounds instead, the tank seemed to be holding up. Soon all the enemies on foot were dead, but the tank moved forward, peppering the turret with its machine gun. The first shot from its main gun had missed, but as it closed in, the chances of missing a second time dropped. Kirito turned to his companion. "Liz, we have to bail!"

"No!" Liz shouted back, still pounding away with the AA gun. "I can do this!"

Kirito didn't have time to argue. He dove at Liz, pushing her out of the turret seat. The next instant, the turret exploded as a tank shell found its mark.

Liz found herself on the ground, her vision red, her heart pounding. Feeling Kirito's arms around her, she smiled weakly before remembering the tank. As she struggled to get to her feet, though, a second explosion knocked her back down, still in Kirito's grasp. Looking up, the two saw the tank engulfed in flames, its gun still pointed towards the AA gun. It took a moment to register what had happened: apparently the continued fire from the AA gun had taken its toll on the tank's armor.

For a few surreal moments, Kirito and Liz lay there on the ground, savoring in the fact that they were still alive. Liz sighed, letting her cheek rest against the grass. _Yep, definitely fun_. In the joy of the moment, she placed her hands on Kirito's, which were still holding her. She felt Kirito tense in surprise, but soon he relaxed as well, chuckling softly.

"Oh, Liz. The stuff we go through."

"Shhh."

* * *

The eastern horizon caught fire, announcing the imminent dawn. Kirito and Liz sat in a tent at the makeshift base the Army had established. None of the others had showed up yet, and Liz was getting worried.

"You don't think…?" she began uneasily.

"Nah," answered Kirito, waving a hand dismissively. "Snow seems like she can take care of herself And Argo definitely can." Despite his words, Kirito also felt uneasy.

"Damn right I can." Right on cue, Argo walked into the tent, followed by Whitfield and Spinelli. The former information dealer sat down next to Kirito holding a cup of hot chocolate. After taking a sip, she examined Kirito and Liz. "So, you two alright? Have any trouble?"

The two exchanged tired looks, then grinned weakly back at Argo. "A little bit of trouble," replied Liz. You know, some crazy Fundamentalists hiding jumping out of trees, hiding in holes in the ground, a tank or two. Nothing we couldn't handle, right, Kirito?"

Kirito yawned before answering. "Right, Liz."

Whitfield and Spinelli whistled when Liz mentioned the tank, but Argo merely raised an eyebrow. "Nice," was all she said.

Just then, Snow walked in. The others sat up, relieved, but then noticed that only Adams followed. Snow's face betrayed no emotions. After a moment of silence, she answered the unasked question. "Novotny didn't make it."

Getting an all-too familiar sinking feeling, Kirito continued to watch Snow. Her eyes were icy, almost lifeless, but in a calm sort of way. _Gee_, he thought, _she's even less emotional than Argo when she wants to be._

Adams sat down and put his head on the table.

* * *

"We actually got lost a lot," admitted Kirito awhile later. The team was heading to sleeping tents for a nap after the long night. "It's a good thing you brought three compasses."

"Two," corrected Argo, causing Kirito and Liz to send her confused looks.

"Two?" Liz asked.

"Yep." Argo yawned. "You had one, Snow had the other. I forgot the third back at HQ."

"You mean…" gasped Kirito, "… that you found your way through the jungle… that _frickin'_ jungle… without a compass?!"

She raised an eyebrow slightly. "Kii-bou, think about it. Is it really that surprising that Argo the Rat has an innate sense of direction?"

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the long update. From now on chapters will generally be long like this one - hopefully you'll enjoy it more. R&R!**


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